An agency of the United Nations has issued a stark warning regarding the central and northern regions of Mali, where persistent insecurity and forced displacement are leading to a significant increase in the risks of gender-based violence for women and girls.
Presenting the findings of a survey conducted last May, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which addresses sexual and reproductive health issues, reported “an escalation in cases of sexual violence within internally displaced persons’ sites and active conflict zones.” The report specifically documented incidents of “sexual exploitation, harassment, and forced marriage.”
This heightened vulnerability is unfolding within a “critical humanitarian context” in certain areas of the central Sahel. Here, women not only face elevated risks of sexual violence but are also “deprived of adequate access to essential sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services.”
According to the UN agency, May 2025 witnessed an intensification of armed conflict, particularly across the regions of Tombouctou, Gao, Mopti, and Ménaka, marked by a resurgence of attacks by armed groups. These violent outbreaks have resulted in fresh, large-scale population displacements.
Healthcare access remains severely restricted
The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has now almost reached 380,000, a substantial increase from 330,000 in May 2024, representing a rise of nearly 15%. UNFPA highlighted that “women and girls are at the heart of these vulnerabilities and are disproportionately affected by this insecurity and the ongoing humanitarian crisis.”
Of the 6.4 million individuals in need of humanitarian assistance, more than half are women and girls. A significant number of these individuals reside in areas where access to protection and vital health services is extremely limited, according to the agency’s data.
Alarmingly, fewer than a quarter of health facilities in the crisis-affected regions currently provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care or offer support to survivors of gender-based violence.
Nationally, nearly half of the specialized services in this crucial area remain non-operational. The regions most severely impacted include Gao (76%), Ménaka (77%), Mopti (56%), and Tombouctou (80%).
On the ground, UNFPA teams are actively scaling up their humanitarian response. They are currently supporting 86 health facilities, establishing six safe spaces specifically for women and girls, and operating seven one-stop centers in the most heavily affected central and northern regions, which include Ségou, Mopti, Gao, Tombouctou, and Ménaka.
“Colossal” funding shortfall impedes aid
During the month of May alone, mobile health teams successfully delivered sexual and reproductive health services and gender-based violence prevention support to almost 3,000 individuals within displacement camps. Notably, women and young girls constituted 80% of these beneficiaries.
Midwives provided essential prenatal, postnatal, and delivery care, while crucial dignity kits and reproductive health supplies were distributed in areas severely impacted by both flooding and conflict.
Across Mali, approximately 900,000 women and girls are identified as targets for reproductive health services or specialized programs aimed at combating sexual violence.
However, the humanitarian response remains gravely underfunded. Out of this year’s funding appeal totaling $16.5 million, UNFPA has received only $2.9 million. This leaves the agency’s teams facing a “colossal deficit of $13.5 million” required to provide assistance to thousands of vulnerable women and girls.
Crucially, “without urgent additional funding,” the reach and long-term viability of programs designed to combat sexual violence and deliver essential reproductive health services in Mali are severely jeopardized.